This invention relates to a lubrication system for lubricating a piston and cylinder and more particularly but not by way of limitation to a walking beam compressor used in conjunction with a walking beam oil pump. The compressor used for compressing low pressure natural gas.
In a walking beam compressor, which is activated by the motion of a walking beam of a walking beam oil pump, the lubrication of the piston and inner cylinder wall of the compressor is extremely important. The natural gas which is compressed provides a foreign environment which dilutes and dissolves the oil lubricant. This causes a critical lubrication problem greatly reducing the wear life of the piston, the cylinder wall and the rings.
In the past, lubricant has been introduced by drip feed around the top of the piston shaft with the oil circulating downwardly along the length of piston shaft saturating a felt oil retaining wiper mounted on top of the piston. The wiper introduces oil along the sides of the cylinder wall as the piston is raised and lowered in the cylinder. While the wiper may provide adequate lubrication in the upper portion of the cylinder, little or no lubricant is received in the lower portion of the cylinder, particularly when the piston is double-acting and the low pressure natural gas is compressed in both the top and bottom portions of the cylinder.
In the following U.S. patents various types of compressor lubrication systems are described. They are U.S. Pat. No. 729,537 to Buffum, U.S. Pat. No. 754,121 to Brush, U.S. Pat. No. 832,956 to Castelnau, U.S. Pat. No. 2,166,857 to Bugatti, U.S. Pat. No. 2,317,004 to Wallgren et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,665,901 to Patterson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,763 to Wallis. None of these prior art patents address the problem of natural gas walking beam compressor lubrication nor do they describe the unique features and advantages of the subject lubrication system for providing a complete and improved lubrication system for a walking beam compressor.